DEFINITIVE SENTENCE WHEREBY PETER DE LUNA, POPE BENEDICT

XIII, IS DIVESTED OF THE PAPACY AND DEPRIVED OF THE FAITH.

FROM THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE

May this judgment come forth from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from his
mouth proceeds a double-edged sword, whose scales are just and weights are true, who
will come to judge the living and the dead, our lord Jesus Christ, Amen. The Lord is just
and loves just deeds, his face looks on righteousness. But the Lord looks on those who do
evil so as to cut off their remembrance from the earth. Let there perish, says the holy
prophet, the memory of him who did not remember to show mercy and who persecuted
the poor and needy. How much more should there perish the memory of Peter de Luna,
called by some Benedict XIII, who persecuted and disturbed all people and the universal
church? For, how greatly he has sinned against God's church and the entire christian
people, fostering, nourishing and continuing the schism and division of God's church
How ardent and frequent have been the devout and humble prayers, exhortations and
requests of kings, princes and prelates with which he has been warned in charity, in
accordance with the teaching of the gospel, to bring peace to the church, to heal its
wounds and to reconstitute its divided parts into one structure and one body, as he had
sworn to do, and as for a long time it was within his power to do ! He was unwilling,
however, to listen to their charitable admonitions. How many were the persons afterwards
sent to attest to him! Because he did not listen at all even to these, it has been necessary,
in accordance with the aforesaid evangelical teaching of Christ, to say to the church,
since he has not listened even to her, that he should be treated as a heathen and a
publican. All these things have been clearly proved by the articles coming from the
inquiry into faith and the schism held before this present synod, regarding the above and
other matters brought against him, as well as by their truth and notoriety. The
proceedings have been correct and canonical, all the acts have been correctly and
carefully examined and there has been mature deliberation. Therefore this same holy
general synod, representing the universal church and sitting as a tribunal in the aforesaid
inquiry, pronounces, decrees and declares by this definitive sentence written here, that the
same Peter de Luna, called Benedict XIII as has been said, has been and is a perjurer, a
cause of scandal to the universal church, a promoter and breeder of the ancient schism,
that long established fission and division in God's holy church, an obstructer of the peace
and unity of the said church, a schismatic disturber and a heretic, a deviator from the
faith, a persistent violator of the article of the faith One holy catholic church, incorrigible,
notorious and manifest in his scandal to God's church, and that he has rendered himself
unworthy of every title, rank, honour and dignity, rejected and cut off by God, deprived
by the law itself of every right in any way belonging to him in the papacy or pertaining to
the Roman pontiff and the Roman church, and cut off from the catholic church like a
withered member. This same holy synod, moreover, as a precautionary measure, since
according to himself he actually holds the papacy, deprives, deposes and casts out the
said Peter from the papacy and from being the supreme pontiff of the Roman church and
from every title, rank, honour, dignity, benefice and office whatsoever. It forbids him to
act henceforth as the pope or as the supreme and Roman pontiff. It absolves and declares
to be absolved all Christ's faithful from obedience to him, and from every duty of
obedience to him and from oaths and obligations in any way made to him. It forbids each
and every one of Christ's faithful to obey, respond to or attend to, as if he were pope, the
said Peter de Luna, who is a notorious, declared and deposed schismatic and incorrigible
heretic, or to sustain or harbour him in any way contrary to the aforesaid, or to offer him
help, advice or good will. This is forbidden under pain of the offender being counted as a
promoter of schism and heresy and of being deprived of all benefices, dignities and
ecclesiastical or secular honours, and under other penalties of the law, even if the dignity
is that of a bishop, a patriarch, a cardinal, a king or the emperor. If they act contrary to
this prohibition, they are by this very fact deprived of these things, on the authority of this
decree and sentence, and they incur the other penalties of the law. This holy synod,
moreover, declares and decrees that all and singular prohibitions and all processes,
sentences, constitutions, censures and any other things whatsoever that were issued by
him and might impede the aforesaid, are without effect; and it invalidates, revokes and
annuls them; saving always the other penalties which the law decrees for the above cases.